Sign in using your account

Border Boletín: Gun ownership down, survey shows

Brady McCombs

Feb 21, 2011

AP Photo/Julie Jacobson

My colleague, Tim Steller,
and I did extensive research for our
Sunday story about gun issues raised by the Jan. 8 mass
shooting in Tucson. As is often the case with these in-depth
stories, not all of the interesting information we found made in
the story.

Much of it will likely be included in future articles we write
on the topic, but here’s one nugget I thought you would find
interesting — gun ownership levels in the United States over the
last two decades.

The video brings into question the infamous “90 percent”
statistic about Mexican crime guns coming from the United States.
The NRA calls the figure a myth.

Here’s the accurate way to describe the statistic: 90 percent of
the guns recovered in Mexican crimes in the past three years have
been traced back to the United States, according to data from the
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms
and Explosives, commonly known as the ATF.

That’s no myth, but it doesn’t account for all the guns not
recovered and traced in Mexico, which is why the NRA has long
disputed the claim. They say are so many guns unaccounted for that
the figures is irrelevant. The gun rights organization also says
fully automatic rifles, grenades and rocket launchers used by the
Mexican cartels are illegal to sell in the United States, and must
come from other countries.

--------------

If you interested in the the issue of guns being smuggled from
the United States to Mexico, here are three stories and blog item
I've written about increased efforts by the U.S. to slow the
southbound flow of guns to Mexico and the challenge they face: